#paristerroristattacks

Life is so strange.  Sometimes you are at the wrong place at exact wrong time, and there’s nothing you can do to avoid it.  The innocent bystander,  who missed his bus.  Or took a different route home than usual.  Who was dragged out, but wanted to stay home.  Or maybe another person who is routinely at the wrong place was sick that night and didn’t go out.  That person is so damn lucky.  

This is my experience…

November 7th, 2015

Dublin, Ireland The Spire Hostel 35 euros a night for a bunk in this shit hostel with 20 other people?  It smells like feet, there is a sick girl coughing, a chorus of snorers, and people drunkenly stumbling in at 3am.  Okay, so this what hostels in Europe are like?  I’m canceling my reservation at my hostel in Paris booking an Air BNB there, so I’m not at risk of staying a shitty crowded hostel like this. I’ll splurge the extra 20 Euro for a nice bed and a hot shower.  Found a great place in the 11th arrondissement, surrounded by local cafes, bars, and entertainment venues..perfect!  I’ll be staying the heart of a popular area for young Parisians.  Looks like I’ll have a very authentic experience.  

November 13, 2015

~7:30 PM – Cafe near the Eiffel Tower in Paris, France Picked a cafe near the eiffel tower based on the availability of free wifi. Food was mediocre and expensive, but I just needed the wifi to plan out my night.  Friday night in Paris with a friendly football match between France and Germany happening, I’m determined see some of Paris’ nightlife. After texting a few friends and rereading a few recommendations given to me, I was leaning towards somewhere closer to where I was staying in the 11th arrondissement near Voltaire St, so I wouldn’t have to journey home. Most of my friends recommended going out in that area for the true Parisian bar experience, but I was waiting on their texts to be a little more specific. Wow, for some reason I’m really full, maybe it’s because I drank too much wine with my meal?  Maybe I should go home first.  And my friend didn’t text me back a good location to go…he probably fell asleep.  It’s OK, I’ll just stop by my Air BNB first, since it is close to all the fun anyways, then I’ll make up my mind.

~8:00 PM – Eiffel Tower Arrived at the Eiffel Tower to take some pictures. After it gets dark, the tower “sparkles” every hour.  Truly a beautiful sight, but for some reason I thought there was more.  A light show, maybe with lasers.  I expected something awesome like the lights/laser shows in Hong Kong or Singapore. I had bought a bottle of wine to drink in the park while the light show was on, but since it didn’t exist, and I really had to pee, I’ll just find the subway home.  Walked over to the Ecole Militaire, where I would have to transfer only once at the train stop Republique, then back to Voltaire for a 5 minute walk home.  

~8:45 PM  – Near Voltaire  (11th Arrondissement)..AirBNB Back at my Air BNB.  Had to use the bathroom real bad so I kinda rushed home. Chilled for a few minutes in my room, then went into the kitchen to find a wine opener, where my host was on the phone.  While I was trying to locate said wine opener, my host hung up.  She said something bad happened.  Really bad.  Her best friend lives above a popular cafe/restaurant about a 7 minute walk away.  She heard a noise that sounded like fireworks, and looked out her window.  She saw blood and bodies all over the street.  The poor girl is alone right now, because her boyfriend is out of town, so she called my host bawling.  My first thought was, was it a restaurant hold up?  We waited for news,and the sound of sirens was constant near our apartment.  I was on google, cnn, bbc, twitter, but nothing yet.  We sat in the kitchen with some wine, and waited.  After 20 minutes, an initial report came through on the French media.  Still nothing on the English-speaking websites, so my host translated.  She was clearly trying her best to keep her cool together.  She is a regular in the area around this cafe and mentioned she was here 3 out of 5 days this week.  The first report was a shooting at a very popular cafe/restaurant.  Her boyfriend’s brother was the venue and saw everything, but he escaped unharmed.  Phone calls were non-stop, she had friends calling to make sure she was okay.

~9:45PM AirBnb Bad news kept coming. English news lagged about 15 minutes behind the French news. First the hostage situation in the concert venue was announced on French TV.  My host didn’t know the word for hostage, she said “mugging,” so I didn’t think it was related to the other attack. Then the soccer match explosions happened.  English news finally caught up and I realized what she meant at the concert. At this point, the death reports started coming out. 40…60…climbing to 100.  Unbelievable.  The sirens never stopped outside. I thought it was only 3 attacks, but as the night went on, it became six.  Six different locations, all in the 10th and 11th arrondissements.  The targets were all places young local Parisians hang out.  Local bars, concert venues, restaurants, even an area near the train station Republique.  It was clearly a coordinated attack.  

~12:00AM AirBnb I’m still awake. I can’t sleep with the sirens, and knowing that there was a chance I could have been out.  If I didn’t have to use the bathroom so badly, or my friend got back to me with the name of a bar, I might have been outside.  If I stayed and watched the lights sparkle at the Eiffel Tower, and drank my wine there, I would have arrived at the Subway stop around 9:00PM, when the attack unfolded…about 5 minutes away from where 18 people were killed eating at a cafe. Knowing how I am with directions, what if I made a wrong turn and walked that way?  That sounds like something I would do, but I usually just keep walking and take the “long way” home. So many “what if” situations.

November 14, 2015

~2:30PM AirBnB I’m so thankful for all my friends who messaged me in the middle of the night, asking if I was okay.  I am totally fine.  But please keep the people of France in your thoughts and prayers, because there are so many people who were not so lucky, just living their life and enjoying their Friday evening out.  Imagine any night you were out with your friends, at a bar, concert, football match, whatever, instantly turning into a panicked scramble for survival. That was the reality for thousands last night. Looking back on it is surreal.  I had first-hand accounts and updates before they reached the news outlets and knowing there were some fucking psychos running around outside, not too far from where I am currently staying, is not the most comforting thing.  I will never forget sitting around the dinner table, waiting for more news, and seeing the situation escalate to a full on terrorist attack on the people of Paris.  

Where you are, it’s just a matter of fate, based on the people you meet, your learned experiences, and varied internal/external conditions…in my case staying in a terrible hostel and changing accommodations, having to pee, other people’s recommendations, etc.

Scoop: Ph Pres PNoy Aquino & Ph pres sister Kris Aquino express solidarity w d people of Paris by showing off their designer garb this afternoon at d Ph pres nephew’s wedding #PrayforParis

Scoop: While people all over the world #PrayforParis over the Paris terrorist attacks which claimed the lives of about 150 civilians, Philippine President Benigno S. Aquino III and presidential sister Kris Aquino express solidarity with the people of Paris by gleefully showing off their designer garb this afternoon (see photos here shot this afternoon and uploaded by the presidential sister a few…